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French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."

Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.

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